Correctional or detention facilities provide safety, security and protection for the public by detaining and housing violent criminals. Inside these facilities there are many heavy steel doors that separate the violent offenders (inmates) from officers and keep the offenders in a secure environment. Built within these heavy steel doors is a mechanism called a “cuff port.” The basic cuff port consists of a small opening (or hole) in the main steel door that is covered by a piece of steel that is secured to the door with one or more hinges and a locking mechanism. When in use, the cuff port is unlocked and the door swings open in one direction which allows the offender to place their hands through the opening of the cuff port so the law enforcement officer (correctional officer) can secure the offender with hand cuffs before the main door is opened. Maintaining control is a must for the safety of both the officer and the offender.
Within a correctional facility vulnerable areas exist where inmates are released from the secured environment of their housing unit and allowed into common areas such as hallways and rotundas (a central point where all hallways intersect). In these areas there are steel doors that provide separation between the secure housing units that they live and these common areas. What makes these areas vulnerable is that the main steel doors that separate these areas do not have an operating cuff port, giving the offenders opportunities to act in a violent manner, such as attacking and assaulting other inmates and officers knowing that the responding officers have little to no control of the situation. This not only leaves officers at risk of serious injury or death, it also leaves other offenders at risk of serious injury or death leaving a large liability issue for the department. That in the end, could cost tax payers more in the long term due to legal issues resulting from these incidents.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a cuff port that can be opened from either side. Moreover, there is a need in the art for a cuff port that can be retrofit to existing doors.